Insulating and impervious roofing panels and a process and apparatus for their manufacture

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a fibrous panel and to a process and apparatus for its manufacture, the panel includes a dense felt mat (2) of mineral fibres having on at least one of its main surfaces an impervious covering (3, 7) consisting of a reinforcing layer (3) of mineral fibres impregnated with a binder, for example bitumen, and bonded to the felt (2) by the binder, and having, on the external surface, a sheet of separating agent (7) glued to the reinforcing layer (3) by the binder, the agent (7) being self welding in the heat. The panels according to this invention are advantageous for the insulation and weatherproofing of roofs, especially those with only a slight slope, in particular on account of their reliability in use as well as that of the impervious coverings for which they serve as support.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to panels consisting mainly of aninsulating material such as a felt of fibres bonded together, one of thesurfaces of each panel having a covering suitable in particular forreceiving at least one layer of an impervious material which isresistant to weathering.

Panels of this type are already known, in particular for roofs having aslight slope, to serve both as insulating material and as support forimpervious coverings, in particular of a bitumenous material.

Some known panels comprise a felt of mineral fibres bonded togetherhaving sufficient density to confer considerable rigidity on the panelwhile maintaining satisfactory insulating properties, and a coveringconsisting of a layer of glass fibres impregnated with bitumen and, onthe external surface, a sheet of craft paper.

Such panels have, however, various disadvantages, such as the fact thatthe bond between the felt and the impervious coverings subsequentlydeposited on the panels after assembly lacks homogeneity due to theinterposition of the sheet of craft paper and due to its sensitivity tomoisture.

There has also been disclosed, in particular in U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,425and French Pat. No. 2,025,428, a panel comprising a mineral fibre felt,one or more than one surface of which is impregnated with bitumen andcovered with a thin skin of a separating agent such as a thermoplasticmaterial which is capable of being eliminated, entirely or in part, bybeing torn off or by melting, combustion or dissolving in the moltenbitumen used for the final impervious coverings. Such a thermoplasticmaterial is preferably chosen from the group comprising polyethylenesand polypropylenes of low or medium density and is preferably used inthe form of a sheet having a thickness of the order of 10 microns.

Such panels have, however, certain disadvantages relating both to theprocess proposed for their manufacture and to their properties, inparticular those properties specifically conferred on them by the saidprocess.

According to the Patents cited above, and more particularly to FrenchPat. No. 2,025,428, impregnation of the felt of mineral fibres iscarried out by pouring a thin, continuous stream of molten bitumen overthe felt from the slot of a coating apparatus. The penetration ofbitumen is a function of various factors, in particular the quantitypresent per unit surface area, the fluidity of the product and hencealso its temperature, the porosity of the felt, its own temperature,etc. Considerable heterogeneity therefore generally exists. Thus thesurface layer, which is formed by a mixture of the usual type ofinsulating fibres and of chopped textile filaments, may be only partlyimpregnated or it may, on the contrary, represent only a small portionof the region of panel which has been impregnated. The finished productis therefore heterogeneous in its properties, in particular in itsinsulating properties, imperviousness, mechanical resistance, capacityto be bonded, etc.

Concerning the process proposed by said French Patent, it should benoted that it poses delicate problems in its execution as regards theprecision of dosing, both in space and in time.

Such problems in fact arise even in the manufacture of the felt itselfsince in order to obtain a reinforced upper layer it is necessary toensure homogeneous distribution of the chopped fibres introducedtherein. Problems of dosing and distribution again arise subsequently atthe stage of impregnation of the felt with bitumen, due to the numerousparameters which enter into this process, as mentioned above.

Furthermore, since bitumen is a very soiling product, its directdistribution over the rigid felt travelling underneath the coating slotdoes not enable the lateral surfaces of the felt to be correctlyimpregnated without risk of soiling the conveyor apparatus. All the moreso is it impossible to envisage impregnating the lower edges by directapplication of the process described.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention proposes to overcome these various disadvantages.

It has as its object a fibrous panel for insulating and providingimperviousness, essentually comprising a mat consisting of a dense feltof mineral fibres joined together by a first binder finely dispersed inits substance, and, on at least one of its main surfaces, a coveringconsisting of a reinforcing layer of mineral fibres impregnated with asecond binder and bonded to the felt by the second binder, theimpregnated layer being in turn covered by a sheet of separating agentcapable of being bonded to the reinforcing layer by the same secondbinder which impregnates the said reinforcing layer and capable of beingself welding in the heat.

In a preferred embodiment, the second binder is a thermoplastic product,advantageously from the family of bitumens and, among these, preferablythose having viscosity characteristics as a function of temperaturewithin the following range: "ball and ring" temperature according toFrench standard T 66 008 within the range of 70° to 100° C. andpreferably of the order of 85° C., and a penetrability according toFrench standard T 66 004 of the order of 25 (the unit of measurementbeing 0.1 mm).

It is also preferable if the reinforcing layer is formed by intermeshingglass fibres bonded together and it advantageously also contains a warpof reinforcing threads. The diameter of the fibres of the reinforcingfilm are advantageously e.g. from 6 to 20 μm and the threads of the warpmay be continuous filament yarns of 60 to 80 composed of filaments withdiameters from 70 to 20 μm. The mass per unit area of the film mayadvantageously be from 30 to 200 g/m² and is preferably of the order of50 to 100 g/m² while the quantity of bitumen impregnating the film isfrom 1000 to 2000 g/m², preferably from 1300 to 1500 g/m².

The first binder, which provides the mechanical strength of the mat ofmineral fibre felt, is advantageously of the phenol formaldehyde type,which is well known for such felts, although other substances, such asepoxy resins, urea resins, etc. may also be suitable, provided thesecond binder chosen is not incompatible with them.

The felt may consist of fibres of glass or rock wool and the binder willbe hardened by heat after it has been compressed to such a density thatit will still have very good insulating properties with a thermalconductivity, for example, of from 0.03 to 0.06 W/m° C. while itsmechanical properties will have the high values required for the usesenvisaged for these products. For example, a felt which, at a thicknessof 30 mm, has a sag of the order of a few millimeters between twosupports placed 1 meter apart and a resistance to punching of the orderof 100 daN according to the CSTB punching test when freely spanned on asupport having a valley width of 50 mm would be considered verysatisfactory.

Such performances are normally obtained with felts having a mass perunit volume of from 120 to 250 kg/m³ (preferably of the order of 150kg/m³).

Furthermore, to cover the most frequent uses, the thickness of the feltmat in the panel according to the invention should be from 2 to 15 cm.

In one preferred embodiment of this invention, the separating agentcompleting the external covering on at least one of the sheet ofsurfaces of the panel consists of a layer of a thermoplastic materialwhich has good dimensional stability up to a temperature at least equalto the "ball and ring" temperature of the said second binder and isfusible at a temperature enabling the weather proofing products intendedto form the final impervious layers to be poured over the panelaccording to the invention after the latter has been placed into itsfinal position on a roof or terrace.

The separating agent is preferably chosen so that it will disappearunder the action of heat or melt and dissolve in the productconstituting the second binder or shrink or burn or decompose so that aclose union will be formed between the bitumen impregnating thereinforcing film and the aforesaid final, impervious layers.

Advantageous products for constituting the said separating agent belongto the group of polyolefins and it is advantageous to chosepolyethylenes and polypropylenes of low or medium density, preferablybiorientated isotactic polypropylenes.

Polyester sheets 5 to 20 μm in thickness may also be suitable althoughtheir response to heat may be different.

These products are preferably used in the form of sheets or filmsadvantageously having a thickness of from 5 to 20 μm, preferably of theorder of 12.5 μm, but they may also be applied in the form of non-wovensor of projected powder.

According to the invention, the covering of the felt, comprising areinforcing layer and a sheet of separating agent as described above, isapplied not only to one of the main surfaces of the felt mat butpreferably also to two opposite longitudinal surfaces and preferablyalso in addition to the undersurface over a considerable width, that isto say, for example, over a width of the same order as the thickness ofthe mat itself or in any case over a width of about 2 cm, and the sheetof separating agent should cover all the surfaces of the mat which havereceived bitumen.

When the surfaces of the mat are to be covered on the underside in thismanner, they preferably have a recess devoid of material before thecovering is applied. For this purpose, the material may be removed bygrinding, for example, and the gap serves to prevent any excessivethickness of the finished panel at this level and to ensure firmerbonding of the reinforcing layer impregnated with bitumen.

The present invention also has as its object a process for themanufacture of the panel described above.

The process according to this invention for manufacturing a fibrouspanel for insulation and imperviousness consists essentially ofproducing a dense mat of felt consisting of fibres bonded together by afirst binder dispersed therein, stabilizing the mass per unit volume bysetting of the binder, for example, by the passage of a hot gas throughthe felt, and then applying to at least one of the main surfaces of thefelt a covering comprising a reinforcing layer impregnated by a secondbinder in a quantity and at a temperature sufficient to bond thereinforcing layer to the felt and a sheet of seperating agent which iscapable of adhering to the reinforcing layer by means of the secondbinder and is self hot welding.

When the process is carried out continuously, the felt moves as acontinuous band on a conveyor and after the treatment of stabilizing themass per unit volume by hardening of the binder, the edges of the bandare cut and machined to impart the required profile to the band andespecially the required width, and the composite covering comprising thereinforcing layer previously impregnated with the second binder and thenjoined to the sheet of separating agent is then brought into contactwith one of the main surfaces of the felt.

The process is advantageously carried out in such a manner that theaforesaid covering is applied to the lower surface rather than to theupper surface of the continuous band of felt, particularly if theseparating agent consists of a sheet of thermoplastic material. As willbe readily understood from the practical example of the processaccording to the invention which will be described in detail below, sucha procedure enables the operator easily to control the impregnation ofthe reinforcing layer with bitumen and its subsequent application andbonding to the felt and at the same time the application to saidreinforcing layer of the sheet of thermoplastic material which from thatmoment plays an important role as separating agent between the filmimpregnated with bitumen and the conveyor which may thereby be keptcompletely clean.

It is sufficient for this purpose to use a separating sheet in the formof a band at least equal and preferably slightly greater in width thanthe band of film impregnated with bitumen.

If the panel is to be manufactured with a "border" or with a "doubleborder", that is to say if the composite covering comprising the filmimpregnated with bitumen and the separating sheet is to cover not onlythe main surface but also the two lateral surfaces and possibly even, inaddition, a certain width along the edges of the second main surface,then the bands of reinforcing layer and separating sheet must besufficiently wide to cover the said surfaces of the felt mat, and theymay be applied to these surfaces by any suitable means such as guides ordeflecting rollers.

After application of the covering to the band of felt, the bandcontinues on its course on the conveyor and at the same time exerts acertain pressure on the said covering, either by its own weight orpossibly with the aid of pressure rollers, until the covering issufficiently hardened to enable the covered band to be cut transversely,for example by means of saws, to produce easily handled panels.

The panels thus obtained, and particularly panels which have a "border"or, better still, a "double border" are particularly suitable forinsulating roofs and rendering the impervious. They have excellentresistance to peeling, that is to say to the tearing off of thecovering, a property which is desirable for counteracting the effect ofwind on the site where the roofing is employed. The panels also respondequally favorably to other tests carried out to compare theirsuitability in use with that of other products produced for theresistance same purpose, such as tests to determine the resist tobending, to punching (static of dynamic), to wear, friction andcompression, etc.

The panels according to the invention are preferably placed edge to edgewith staggered joints, the covered lateral surfaces being flame heatedin the case of panels with borders or double borders before the saidcovered lateral surfaces are brought into contact and bonded together.The panels are then mechanically fixed to their support, such as acorrugated steel structure, concrete elements or some other material, bymechanical means such as self drilling screws, headed or headlessrivets, soldered dowel pins, etc, preferably with interposition ofwashers.

The impervious coverings subsequently to be applied to such an assemblyof panels advantageously consist of sheets of reinforced bitumen orsimilar products which may be flame welded to the panels if the bitumenof said products is chosen to be compatible with the materials directlycovering the panels, that is to say with the bitumen impregnating thereinforcing layer and with the separating sheet, and in this operation,the separating sheet should melt, shrink, burn and/or dissolve in one orother of the two bituminous materials present so that the two materialsmay be intimately bonded together.

The external surface of such impervious coverings applied to an assemblyof panels according to this invention is not significantly affected byvariations in climatic conditions and in particular the ambienttemperature. In particular it does not show any signs of curvature whichtends to appear on panels having craft paper as separating agent.

These ideas may be illustrated with reference to a typical insulatingand impervious structure for a roof with a slight slope, which mayconsist, starting from a slab of concrete, for example, of the followinglayers:

a coating based on oxidized bitumen applied hot;

a bituminous felt having a thickness of the order of 2 mm consisting ofa film of mineral fibres impregnated with bitumen in an amount of about36 kg of bitumen per 20 m² and having a scattering of sand grains onboth sides;

another coating layer applied hot, such as the first one mentioned;

a panel according to the invention;

one or two impervious membranes of bituminous substance or a compositebitumen-elastomer or bitumen-polymer substance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further advantages and characteristics of the present invention will beapparent from the detailed description given below with reference to theattached drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational view of a production line for panelsaccording to the invention and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view in perspective of an edge of a panelaccording to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 comprises a conveyor with rollers 1driving the band of felt 2 in the direction of the arrows f₁. Thereinforcing layer 3 delivered from a spool 4 optionally equipped with atension regulating device is driven towards an impregnating drum 5 thelower part of which is immersed in a vat 6 containing the bitumen usedas second binder in the molten state. This vat is equipped with aheating device with temperature control. A sheet 7, for example ofpolypropylene, delivered from the spool 8 is brought into contact withthe impregnated reinforcing layer 3 and is interposed between the saidreinforcing layer and the drum 9, and the composite covering 10 thusobtained is in turn interposed between the felt band 2 and the drum 11.

A table 12 equipped with deflector-shapers 12a, 12b placed on eitherside of the felt band downstream of the drum 11 serves to apply theedges of the composite band 10 against the lateral surfaces and possiblyalso the upper surface of the felt 2.

It is also advantageous according to this invention to equip theproduction line with cooling means 13, 14, just behind thedeflector-shapers 12a, 12b to assist hardening of the bitumen anddimensional stabilization of the band of felt 2 carrying the compositecovering 10. The means may consist, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, ofone or more cooled stabilizing tables 13 and one or more cooledconveyors 14.

Upstream of the shaping table 12 and separating it from the drum 11which brings the composite covering 10 into contact with the lowersurface of the felt band 2, a table and/or box 15 for adjusting thetemperature may advantageously be provided to regulate the transversetemperature gradient of the composite covering 10 in contact with thefelt 2 and optionally covering its sides, and possibly also to regulatethe temperature of the felt 2 at the level of the lateral surfaces andof the upper surface where the edges of the composite covering 10 are tobe applied with the aid of the deflectors 12a, 12b.

According to the invention, it is also advantageous to arrange, upstreamof the applicator drum 11, a device for coating the under surface of thefelt band 2, the device comprising, for example, a drum 16 having itslower part immersed in a vat 17 containing molten bitumen. This productshould be compatible with the bitumen used for impregnating thereinforcing layer 3 since it is intended to improve the adherence of thefilm 3 to the felt 2.

In addition to the cooling means 13, 14 mentioned above, there may alsobe provided rows of water spray jets 21, 22 represented, respectively,downstream of the table 12 and the table 13. Similar jets may also bearranged at the level of the chest or table 15 with a view to cooling,if necessary, the lower surface of the felt band 2 to which thecomposite covering 10 is to be applied, and similar jets may be providedin the chest containing the cooled conveyor 14.

Means for controlling the temperature of the drums 9 and 11, optionallysupplemented by additional water spray jets (not shown) of the typementioned above and arranged in the space between the drums and oppositethe surface of the composite band 10 comprising the polyolefin sheet 7are also advantageously provided for controlling the temperature of thesheet 7 and that of the superficial part of the bituminous film 3 withwhich it is in contact. The dimensional stability and main properties ofthe sheet 7 are thereby ensured.

When such means for cooling by water spraying are provided, it isadvantageous to provide drying means 23, such as a box supplied with dryair at a suitable temperature, downstream of the cooling means.

The apparatus according to the invention also comprises means such as aguillotine 24 for cutting up the covered band into individual panels.The frequency of movement of the guillotine 24 determines the second orlength dimension of the panel as a function of the speed of forwardmovement of the band or felt, the first dimension being the width of theband of felt.

A conveyor 25 discharges the cut panels 26 to an apparatus for packagingand storage.

A panel 26 manufactured as described above is illustrated in FIG. 2which is a sectional, perspective view of an edge of such a panel,showing a lateral surface 27 and the surface 28 situated at the top ofthe band of felt when the process according to the invention describedabove is carried out. This surface has been rectified by grinding on itstwo edges to form a very flat surface 29 enabling the composite covering10 to make very close contact with the felt 2 and preventing any excessthickness of the covering 10 projecting above the pre-existing relief ofthe surface 28, an example of which relief is given in FIG. 2. Theimpregnation of the felt 2 by bitumen is represented by a superficial,shaded zone which is substantially thicker at 2_(i), situated on thelower surface 30 when the impregnating drum 16 is used, than in theregion 2_(e) at the lateral surface 27 or in the region 2_(s) close tothe rectified surface 29, these being regions in which the bitumen isderived mainly from the impregnated reinforcing layer 3 in contact withthe felt 2.

The sheet of polyethylene 7 constituting the separating agent extendsbeyond the band of impregnated reinforcing layer 3 which is applied tothe rectified surface 29, for example so as to reach as far as theunrectified surface 28, as shown in FIG. 2.

The main characteristics of the panels according to the invention aregiven by way of indication in the annexed Table and comprise:

a felt of rock wool impregnated with phenol formaldehyde resins having ahigh density of the order of 150 kg/m³, and

a composite covering comprising 50 g/m² of a glass film impregnated with85/25 or 100/40 oxidized bitumen (ball and ring temperature) and athermoplastic polypropylene film (melting temperature of the order of200° C.).

Particular attention will be drawn to the performance in the peelingtest for imperviousness, which demonstrates the advantage of thecomposite covering with "border" on the panels according to theinvention (force necessary for peeling: 90 daN/m) compared with theperformances obtained in the same test carried out on panels coveredwith the same composite covering on only one surface (50 daN/m) and barefelt panels (30 daN/m). This test represents real conditions under whichthe covering panels are used. It determines the effort required to tearoff, by peeling from one of the edges, an impervious covering ofreinforced bitumen previously flame welded to the panel to be tested.

Furthermore, the border on the panels manufactured according to theinvention, which enables adjacent panels to be welded edge to edge whenplaced into position by softening or "reactivating" the bitumen of thecomposite reinforcing covering by means of a flame, confers excellentmechanical endurance on the joints between the panels and consequentlyensures homogeneous distribution of the stresses imposed on the roofingmanufactured with the aid of the panels according to the invention.

According to one additional feature of this invention, any sides whichhave not been covered may subsequently be covered by strips of thecovering previously prepared for the purpose and applied by heat, andthese strips may, for example, cover surfaces equivalent to thosecovered by the "border" formed on the other sides in the productionline.

The distribution of stresses mentioned above may thus be even furtherimproved and the difficulties resulting from rain while working on thesite will be substantially diminished since the imperviousness may beobtained right round each panel if the heat fusible separating film hasbeen melted and eliminated in the course of flame welding.

In order to ensure complete tightness of the panel, the invention alsoprovides for the application of a composite coating to the second mainsurface of panels which have been provided with borders, and to the twolongitudinal surfaces which have not been covered during the initialoperation, so that finally all six sides of the panel will be covered.

In addition to the tests, the results of which are shown in the annexedtable, other tests were carried out to demonstrate the advantages of thepanels according to the invention over panels of the prior art asregards their convenience and reliability in use.

These advantages are particularly shown by the friction and compressiontest (Lisson machine simulating foot traffic) and the static punchingtest.

    ______________________________________                                        MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE                                                   PANELS ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION                                             (Thickness 30 mm)                                                             Characteristics     Unit     Mean                                             ______________________________________                                        effective thermal   W/m °C.                                                                         0.041                                            conductivity                                                                  fire resistance     kcal/kg  600                                              classification                                                                (calorific value)                                                             sagging in response mm       2                                                to a strain of 0.2                                                            daN/cm.sup.2                                                                  deferred compression                                                          under 400 kg/m.sup.2                                                                              mm       0.5                                              under 1000 kg/m.sup.2                                                                             mm       1                                                perpendicularly to  daN/cm.sup.2                                                                           0.15                                             the faces                                                                     absorption of water %        Approx 7                                         after immersion for                                                           24 hours                                                                      dimensional variations:                                                       as a function of temperature                                                                      mm       approx 0                                         as a function of humidity                                                                         mm       approx 0                                         peeling of impervious                                                                             daN/m    90                                               skin                                                                          rupture strain by                                                             punching in unsupported                                                       part of vat:                                                                  groove of 50 mm     daN      110                                              groove of 70 mm     daN      100                                              (punching 20 × 80 mm)                                                   ______________________________________                                    

We claim:
 1. A process for the manufacture of a heat insulating andliquid impervious fibrous panel which may be covered with at least onehot applied bituminous coating, said process comprising the stepsof:forming a dense mat of felt consisting of mineral fibres bondedtogether by a first thermosetting binder finely dispersed therein,stabilizing the mass per unit volume of said mat by a heat treatment toset said binder, and applying to at least one main surface of said mat apliant composite covering comprising together a fiberous reinforcinglayer impregnated with a heat softened binder and a sheet of pliantseparating agent, said composite covering being applied with thereinforcing layer in contact with said mat and in a quantity of saidheat softened binder and at a temperature sufficient to ensure adherenceof said reinforcing layer to said felt mat and said separating agentbeing selected so as to be capable of being bonded to said reinforcinglayer by means of said second binder and capable of hot self-welding tothe reinforcing layer.
 2. Process according to claim 1 comprising thesteps of:cutting and machining edges of said mat to impart a requiredprofile and width thereto, continuously supplying said cut and machinedmat, after said stabilizing step, in the form of a mat band ontoelements of a moving conveyor, hot impregnating a band of saidreinforcing layer unwound from a first spool with said second binder,joining said separating agent to a surface of said reinforcing layer;bringing at least one main surface of said mat into contact with anothersurface of said reinforcing layer, whereby said at least one mainsurface of said mat is covered by said composite covering, cooling saidcovered mat band to permit said second binder to harden, and cuttingsaid covered mat band into panel units.
 3. Process according to claim 2,wherein said at least one main surface of the mat band to which thecomposite covering is applied is a lower main surface in contact withthe conveyor, said process including the step of impregnating said lowermain surface with a binder compatible with said second binder beforecontacting said lower main surface with said impregnated reinforcinglayer of said composite covering.
 4. Process according to claim 3,wherein the sheet of separating agent is unwound from a second spool andis applied to the reinforcing layer after impregnation of saidreinforcing layer by the second binder, and wherein said compositecovering is subjected to controlled cooling before said impregnatedreinforcing layer comes into contact with the mat band and said elementsof the conveyor driving said mat band.
 5. Process according to claim 4,wherein the sheet of separating agent is wider than the band ofimpregnated reinforcing layer.
 6. Process according to claim 5, whereinthe band of impregnated reinforcing layer is sufficiently wider than themat band so as to be able to overlap lateral surfaces of the mat band,and wherein the composite covering is applied to said lateral surfacesand to a second main surface of the mat band by means of deflectorspressing said composite covering agents surfaces on lateral parts ofsaid second main surface.
 7. Process according to one of the claims 3,5, 6 or 2 including the step of regulating the temperature of each ofthe surfaces of the reinforcing layer after the impregnation of thereinforcing layer by the second binder and before the impregnatedreinforcing layer is brought into contact with, respectively, the sheetof separating agent and the mat band, whereby the dimensional stabilityof said sheet of separating agent is preserved and adherence of saidsheet of separating agent to said reinforcing film is ensured so as tobring about intimate adherence of said impregnated reinforcing layer tosaid mat band with transfer to part of the second binder carried by saidreinforcing layer to said mat band.
 8. Process according to one of theclaims 3-6 or 2, wherein the temperature of the mat band carrying thecomposite covering is controlled to bring about stabilization ofdimensions thereof by hardening of the impregnating bitumen.
 9. Processaccording to one of the claims 3-6 or 2, wherein when the reinforcinglayer and sheet of separating agent are brought into contact to form thecomposite covering, the sheet of separating agent is cooled by at leastone of contact with a cooled support and the projection of a gas orliquid fluid, so as to preserve the dimensional stability and integrityof said sheet of separating agent.